Sermons

Easter Day
Sunday 4 April 2010
at 6am (Dawn Service at the Bandstand in Roundhay Park)

Diane Flynn

Readings: The Resurrection from John's Gospel

She was distraught from Friday, tearful and grief stricken
Then Jesus said her name. He turned to her and said her name
' Mary!'
He spoke her name
Mary went and announced to the disciples ' I have seen the Lord'
I have seen the Lord

I want you to put yourself in her shoes for a moment.
Imagine that you are outside the tomb - distraught from the events of Friday, saddened and feeling lost.

Imagine in your grief, that he looks at you, opens his mouth and utters YOUR NAME!
You are being spoken to by Jesus who is now alive!
The Risen Lord is saying YOUR NAME

What does that make you feel like?
Hopefully, very very warm inside

You turn to him and YOU SEE HIM
You see Jesus who was dead but he is stood in front of you alive!
You see him.
How does that make you feel? Joyful, ecstatic.
You probably want to go and hug him
Do you smile to one another? Do you and Jesus smile at each other, your heart brimming over with love for him
Do you laugh?

Now, lets return to where we are this morning, here in Roundhay Park at the bandstand.
He's here, next to you
Stood with you, right this very minute.
He speaks your name today
This Easter morning
How wonderful
He knows You
He loves you
And the Risen Lord is talking this morning TO YOU!

Jesus showing Gods love to you through his Resurrection

And like Mary, we must not keep that to ourselves; we need to tell others about the Risen Lord, to help them hear their name spoken by him, to help them see Him in their lives.

Glass Pebble with cross on : Lift it to the light
The light comes through all the time. Whenever the pebble is lifted up, light pours through it.
Jesus rose from the dead and lives with us. His light shines through, past the cross into our eyes, into our hearts and minds, into our lives.
We are forever grateful for what he has done for us, for showing his love for us
Alleluia He is Risen!

© St Edmund's Church, Roundhay